


can i tag along?

by leedslads



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Love at First Sight, M/M, records
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 06:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4510653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leedslads/pseuds/leedslads
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>zayn lets louis come to work with him sometimes</p><p>(pretty much a full version of/100% inspired by this post http://larrythelovers.tumblr.com/post/125828694518/cuddlelourry-headcars-banging-you-look-so)</p>
            </blockquote>





	can i tag along?

**Author's Note:**

> 17 year old harry and 19 year old louis

"Zayn, your job is impossibly boring," Louis whines as he watches his friend alphabetize the records in the rock section. Zayn works at Orange Records, a local music shop that exclusively sells--get this--records. Louis tags along occasionally when he doesn't have football practice, because he's got nothing else to do and Zayn lets him choose what music they play over the speakers. Zayn doesn't really mind when Louis hangs out there, because, he's right--his job can get impossibly boring. 

"It's whatever. I get paid to help people find good music. Plus I don't have to do much," Zayn says, fingering through the records, finding an 'a' record on the 'm' shelf. "How hard is it to put these back in their place?" Louis shrugs, fiddling with the strings on his hoodie. The front door dings, letting the two friends know somebody's come in to take a look around. Louis absentmindedly looks toward the noise, and the boy he sees walking in makes his heart skip a beat, because holy shit--Louis doesn't think he's ever seen anyone more gorgeous than this boy. He reaches for Zayn, grabs him by the collar of his shirt, and makes a beeline for the checkout counter. "What the fuck has gotten into you?" Zayn mutters as Louis releases his shirt. The white material is slightly stretched and Zayn huffs because he just got this shirt and Louis didn't need to drag him around like that.

"Look at that boy," Louis swoons, pulling the strings tight on his hoodie so Zayn can barely see his face. "I can't believe how beautiful he is, and I'm sat here looking like this oh god." Zayn eventually tunes out because Louis has his head in his hands and he's leaned over the counter babbling on and on and on about this boy with nice hair who's looking at Louis's favorite records. Zayn just stands near the cash register, waiting for the customer to find what he needs and check out. "Zayn, let me handle this one," Louis pleads. He even pouts a little for added effect. 

"You don't even know how to work the register," Zayn protests.

"I can figure it out."

"No. No, Louis."

"Why not? I'm giving you one more chance to say yes."

"Oh yeah? Or what?" Louis grins and outstretches a hand toward his best friend. He grabs his nipple and twists, hard, earning a 'fucking dickhead' from Zayn, who moves away from the register so Louis can check the customer out. The latter snickers and takes his place confidently, but before he knows it Zayn's got a hold of his hoodie strings, pulling them tight and double knotting them. Louis desperately tugs at the strings, trying to untie them. He can't see a thing through the thick fabric, but he hears someone clear their throat. He freezes and hears Zayn whisper to him with a pat on his shoulder, "you said you got this one." 

"Ehm, one second, sorry love," Louis mumbles, getting flustered as he tries unsuccessfully to free himself. He knows the pretty boy with the good taste in music is watching him and he's just ruined any chances he had, if there were any in the first place. "Fuck, sorry." He still can't get the damned strings undone. 

"Here, lemme help," offers a soothing voice, which definitely isn't Zayn's. Within a matter of 30 seconds, Louis is free from his stupid hood. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to fix it and make himself look more presentable. 

"Erm, sorry, you know how friends are. He's a real arse. Thank you for helping me, though." The tall boy nods.

"It's really no problem. I'm Harry, by the way."

"'m Louis." Harry puts his purchases on the counter; a Coldplay record and a Pink Floyd one. "Brilliant choices," Louis beams, scanning the items. "Your total is 40.85." Harry takes out his wallet and hands Louis the cash. The smaller boy presses the button that he thinks opens the register, but nothing happens. He presses it again--still nothing. He laughs nervously. "This stupid thing doesn't like to work sometimes," he says, fumbling for words, because Harry is so intimidating that Louis doesn't know how to act. Louis's friends would describe him as loud, outgoing, and confident, so confident, they wish they were as confident as he is. If they were here now, though, they'd laugh at the fool he's making out of himself. Zayn is definitely holding back a chuckle, but he's pretending to not know what's going on. Louis struggles with the cash register some more, eventually just setting Harry's cash aside and asking Zayn to help him. Zayn opens it easily, shaking his head and clicking his tongue at Louis while counting Harry's change. "Thanks pal," Louis whispers with a nudge to Zayn's side. Zayn just grumbles and rolls his eyes before disappearing into the back room.

Harry smiles at Louis, and Louis feels his cheeks heat up. He looks down at his feet, folding his hands behind his back before looking up at the boy in front of him again. “Have fun, uh, listening to your records.”

“I will, thanks,” Harry says, beaming as he grabs his music and turns to leave. “See you, Louis.” Louis doesn’t say anything, he just watches Harry walk out the door. Zayn comes up behind him and pats him on the shoulder.  
“Zayn, why didn’t I give him my number or something? What the fuck? I just let him walk out the door.”

“Yeah, you’re an idiot.”

“Fuck off Zayn.”

“Jokes, jokes. Who knows, maybe you’ll see him again. Everything happens for a reason,” Zayn counsels. Louis just sighs and takes out his phone. 

“He wasn’t that cute anyway,” Louis mumbles, lying to himself in an attempt to not be so mad about letting Harry walk out.

“He was pretty cute.”

“I know.”

 

After a week and some days, Louis’s back at the shop with Zayn. He hasn’t been there since the day he met Harry. He told Zayn he was busy, but really, he just didn’t want to think about Harry and he knew that’s all he could do if he went back to the store. Today, Zayn called Louis and begged him to go to the store because some prankster thought it would be fun to rearrange all of the records. 

“There are rock records in the classical section, for god’s sake: it’s an emergency, Louis.” Zayn didn’t want his boss to be pissed, so he needed Louis’s help if he ever wanted to get things back in order. He bribed Louis with $40. Louis was there in 5 minutes. As they shuffle the records around, trying to put them in alphabetical order, Zayn tells Louis that Harry came back to buy more records twice in the past week. 

“No shit, you’re fucking with me, Zayn.” Louis’s heart beats a little faster. He’s trying not to get his hopes up, in case Zayn is lying to him, but it’s hard not to. 

“I’m not, I swear!” he persists, placing a hand over his heart. Zayn looks sincere enough to Louis, and the latter smiles. 

“Did he ask about me?” Zayn shakes his head.

“Nah, but he was looking for you. I could tell.” Louis smiles to himself. The door dings and Zayn retreats to the cash register, ready to help the customer who just walked in. Louis doesn’t pay too much attention. He’s just trying to sort out these records as fast as he can because he’s getting bored. The door dings once more, but again, Louis indulges himself in organizing. After he puts all the ‘a’ and ‘b’ records back in their rightful places in the holiday section, someone taps him on the shoulder. He turns around to see a teenage girl standing with a hand on her hip, looking very displeased. 

“Excuse me, can I exchange my record? Is that a thing you do here?” Louis shrugs. 

“I don’t know. You have to go ask him,” he answers, pointing at Zayn. He thinks he sounded a bit rude, but he doesn’t care. The girl seemed to have an attitude anyway. 

“Don’t you work here? Can’t you just tell me?”

“No, I don’t work here. Go ask him,” he repeats, turning his attention back to the mess of albums on the floor that he still needs to go through. The girl taps his shoulder again. He groans and faces her. 

“I’ve seen you working the counter. You clearly work here.” She looks confused. Louis just shakes his head. 

“I definitely don’t work here. If you want help go ask Zayn—if you couldn’t tell, I’m quite busy.” He bends down to pick up a handful of records. For the third time he feels a tap on his shoulder. He doesn’t even face her before he starts talking again. “My god, you are dense. What don’t you get? I do-“

“You really don’t work here?” Louis freezes when he hears the deep voice. He looks up and mutters a ‘fuck’ when he realizes who’s standing over him. He can’t bring himself to say anything, so he just shakes his head no. “You seriously, actually don’t work here?” Harry asks again. He reaches out his hand to Louis, offering to help him up. 

“No, I don’t.” Harry bursts out laughing. “What? What’s so funny?”

“I don’t even own a record player. The first time I came in here was to buy a present for my friend for his birthday.” Louis catches on and he smiles so big it hurts his cheeks. “Louis, would you want to go out to dinner tonight?” He nods enthusiastically, trying to hide how much he’s blushing by covering his face with his hands. “Well, can I help you clean up these records?”

The two boys go out to dinner at a pizza place because Harry wouldn’t shut up about how much he was craving pizza as he helped Louis organize the store. Louis uses the $40 Zayn gave him to pay for the meal, and Harry thanks him with a kiss on the cheek. Louis pretends it’s a casual thing, trying not to get too excited about it. But he’s very excited. 

A year later, the pair goes to the same pizza place to celebrate their one year anniversary. Louis has a huge present for Harry, a big box wrapped in blue and white paper sitting next to him in the booth, and Harry is really eager to open it. He doesn’t want to look too eager, though. He acts like he doesn’t see it, and instead he hands Louis the present he bought. Louis unwraps it, beaming at his boyfriend, wondering how he got so lucky. 

“Are these your drawings?” he asks, staring at the leather bound book sitting inside the box. Harry nods, rapping his knuckles on the table. Harry usually kept his drawings to himself, so he was nervous about giving an entire sketchbook of his doodles to Louis. It was the most meaningful gift he could think to give him. “Thank you so much, Harry. This really means a lot to me.”

“I was going to give you some pictures I took too, but I didn’t have time to get them developed. I’ll do them as soon as possible.” Louis just leans over the table and kisses Harry. 

“I love you. Thank you.” Harry feels his face get hot. Even after all this time he gets the same feeling in the pit of his stomach when Louis kisses him. “Here’s yours, babe.” Louis struggles to lift the present up onto the table, huffing about how heavy it is. Harry tentatively peels off the wrapping paper. When he rips open the cardboard box and sees what Louis got him, he feels his eyes start to water. It's a baby blue record player and a collection of music, including the Coldplay and Pink Floyd albums Harry picked out the first time Louis ever met him. Harry runs his fingers over the surface of it and looks up at his boyfriend in complete awe. He realizes that he's never been happier than he is right at this very moment, eating pizza with the love of his life and holding the very reason this all came to be.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry i'm so shit at endings!! + this is my first actual short larry fic i'm trying to improve (my vocabulary especially) and find a writing style that i enjoy :-) i didn't proofread this either i'm too lazy for that


End file.
